Van Halen Take Over ESPN With New Album Stream and ‘Tattoo’ Contest

Van Halen's long-awaited new album 'A Different Kind of Truth' hits stores today and to promote the landmark release even further, the band has joined forces with ESPN.com to stream some of the new tracks and launch an unusual contest.

The day die-hard Van Halen fans have been yearning for is finally here. The classic rockers release their first studio album to feature David Lee Roth behind the microphone in 28 years -- the last being '1984' -- and their first studio album since 1998's 'Van Halen III' today. To celebrate the release of 'A Different Kind of Truth,' Van Halen is pairing with ESPN.com to offer fans some very unique opportunities.

The Van Halen "takeover" of ESPN.com is officially underway and the new album tracks 'Blood and Fire,' 'As is,' 'The Trouble with Never,' 'Stay Frosty,' 'Beats Workin',' and the lead single 'Tattoo' are all streaming in their entirety at the sports news site. In addition to streaming nearly half of the new record, the site is also hosting a 'Tattoo' contest conceived by "Diamond Dave" himself.

In the spirit of Van Halen's first single, the band is asking "Are you tattooed?" Fans (especially the lady-fans) are being asked to submit a picture of their "crazy, sexy, cool" sports-related tattoos for a chance to win an all-expenses-paid vacation to a VH concert and a meet-and-greet with the band -- official rules and entry information can be found at ESPN.com.

Van Halen will kick off their recently announced 2012 North American tour in support of 'A Different Kind of Truth' with Kool & the Gang on February 18th -- click here for tour dates.